Oscar in Box Office History (Week 8, 2016)

Every week, we’ll take a look back in 5-year intervals at the box office past to explore how Oscar’s nominees were doing at the box office each weekend historically. All data is collected from Box Office Mojo. The first section under each year is the positioning of all Oscar nominees during that weekend at the box office (as well as a section looking at the inflation-adjusted numbers). The third section is an alphabetical list of those films and the categories in which they were nominated. And to start each week off, we’ll be looking at the films releasing over the weekend that have the best chance of getting Oscar nominations and specifying the categories where we think they have the best shots at this stage of the game. If you have any suggestions for more data you’d like to see, please let us know.

This Year: Potential Oscar Nominees Releasing This Weekend

Race (Wide)

Oscar Potential: Picture, Director, Actor (Stephan James), Supporting Actor (Jeremy Irons, Jason Sudeikis), Editing, Production Design, Costume Design.

5 Years Ago: The Weekend of Feb. 25-27, 2011

Weekend Box Office:

The King’s Speech – $7,339,759 ($114,231,030 total) {week 14}
True Grit – $1,947,092 ($167,132,442 total) {week 10}
The Fighter – $1,576,103 ($90,369,463 total) {week 12}
Black Swan – $1,327,844 ($103,576,418 total) {week 13}
Barney’s Version – $460,811 ($2,701,805 total) {week 7}
Biutiful – $460,928 ($3,784,611 total) {week 5}
Tangled – $421,474 ($194,881,262 total) {week 14}
Tron: Legacy – $330,462 ($170,999,943 total) {week 11}
127 Hours – $301,367 ($17,915,448 total) {week 17}
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I – $239,617 ($294,325,810 total) {week 15}
Blue Valentine – $215,434 ($9,224,011 total) {week 9}
The Illusionist – $188,494 ($1,467,789 total) {week 9}
Another Year – $134,859 ($2,733,329 total) {week 9}
The Social Network – $109,956 ($96,917,897 total) {week 22}
Winter’s Bone – $71,703 ($6,502,666 total) {week 38}
Rabbit Hole – $53,034 ($2,063,107 total) {week 11}
Inside Job – $33,568 ($4,019,203 total) {week 21}
The Way Back – $13,275 ($2,695,671 total) {week 6}
Animal Kingdom – $336 ($1,041,723 total) {week 29}
Dogtooth – $917 ($106,573 total) {week 36}
Waste Land – $9,001 ($169,215 total) {week 18}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

The King’s Speech – $7,561,895 ($117,688,211 total)
True Grit – $2,006,020 ($172,190,675 total)
The Fighter – $1,623,803 ($93,104,478 total)
Black Swan – $1,368,031 ($106,711,139 total)
Barney’s Version – $474,757 ($2,783,575 total)
Biutiful – $474,878 ($3,899,152 total)
Tangled – $434,230 ($200,779,308 total)
Tron: Legacy – $340,463 ($176,175,225 total)
127 Hours – $310,488 ($18,457,656 total)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I – $246,869 ($303,233,527 total)
Blue Valentine – $221,954 ($9,503,174 total)
The Illusionist – $194,199 ($1,512,211 total)
Another Year – $138,940 ($2,816,053 total)
The Social Network – $113,284 ($99,851,099 total)
Winter’s Bone – $73,873 ($6,699,468 total)
Rabbit Hole – $54,639 ($2,125,547 total)
Inside Job – $34,584 ($4,140,843 total)
The Way Back – $13,677 ($2,777,255 total)
Animal Kingdom – $346 ($1,073,251 total)
Dogtooth – $945 ($109,798 total)
Waste Land – $9,273 ($174,336 total)

Oscar Details:

127 Hours: Picture, Actor (James Franco), Adapted Screenplay, Original Song (“If I Rise”), Editing
Animal Kingdom: Supporting Actress (Jacki Weaver)
Another Year: Original Screenplay
Barney’s Version: Makeup
Biutiful: Actor (Javier Bardem), Foreign Language Film
Black Swan: Picture, Direcing, Actress (Natalie Portman) [O], Editing, Cinematography
Blue Valentine: Actress (Michelle Williams)
Dogtooth: Foreign Language Film
The Fighter: Picture, Directing, Supporting Actor (Christian Bale) [O], Supporting Actress (Amy Adams, Melissa Leo [O]), Original Screenplay, Editing
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I: Art Direction, Visual Effects
The Illusionist: Animated Feature
Inside Job: Documentary Feature
The King’s Speech: Picture [O], Directing [O], Actor (Colin Firth) [O], Supporting Actor (Geoffrey Rush), Supporting Actress (Helena Bonham Carter), Original Screenplay [O], Original Score, Editing, Cinematography, Art Direction, Costume Design, Sound Mixing
Rabbit Hole: Actress (Nicole Kidman)
The Social Network: Picture, Directing, Actor (Jesse Eisenberg), Adapted Screenplay [O], Original Score [O], Editing [O], Cinematography, Sound Mixing
Tangled: Original Song (“I See the Light”)
Tron: Legacy: Sound Editing
True Grit: Picture, Directing, Actor (Jeff Bridges), Supporting Actress (Hailee Steinfeld), Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Art Direction, Costume Design, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing
Waste Land: Documentary Feature
The Way Back: Makeup
Winter’s Bone: Picture, Actress (Jennifer Lawrence), Supporting Actor (John Hawkes), Adapted Screenplay

10 Years Ago: The Weekend of Feb. 24-26, 2006

Weekend Box Office:

Brokeback Mountain – $2,293,859 ($75,383,067 total) {week 12}
Capote – $1,066,844 ($23,441,493 total) {week 22}
Mrs. Henderson Presents – $1,001,298 ($7,140,655 total) {week 12}
Match Point – $914,918 ($21,556,458 total) {week 9}
Transamerica – $851,128 ($4,816,005 total) {week 13}
Walk the Line – $725,765 ($117,478,650 total) {week 15}
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – $711,645 ($288,193,914 total) {week 12}
Good Night, and Good Luck. – $652,020 ($30,323,531 total) {week 21}
Munich – $502,355 ($46,079,435 total) {week 10}
King Kong – $273,245 ($216,682,440 total) {week 11}
The New World – $199,661 ($12,286,351 total) {week 10}
Syriana – $192,137 ($49,374,263 total) {week 14}
Memoirs of a Geisha – $130,636 ($56,678,628 total) {week 12}
Days of Glory – $69,093 ($101,288 total) {week 12}
Tsotsi – $76,324 ($76,324 total) {week 1}
The Squid and the Whale – $73,850 ($7,175,598 total) {week 21}
Pride & Prejudice – $72,900 ($38,372,662 total) {week 16}
Sophie Scholl – $41,210 ($69,425 total) {week 2}
Paradise Now – $23,861 ($1,342,773 total) {week 18}
Darwin’s Nightmare – $10,741 ($160,259 total) {week 30}
Street Fight – $3,888 ($4,779 total) {week 1}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

Brokeback Mountain – $2,861,195 ($94,027,429 total)
Capote – $1,330,705 ($29,239,236 total)
Mrs. Henderson Presents – $1,248,947 ($8,906,741 total)
Match Point – $1,141,203 ($26,887,979 total)
Transamerica – $1,061,636 ($6,007,139 total)
Walk the Line – $905,267 ($146,534,438 total)
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – $887,655 ($359,472,409 total)
Good Night, and Good Luck. – $813,283 ($37,823,397 total)
Munich – $626,602 ($57,476,181 total)
King Kong – $340,826 ($270,274,127 total)
The New World – $249,043 ($15,325,113 total)
Syriana – $239,658 ($61,585,913 total)
Memoirs of a Geisha – $162,946 ($70,696,854 total)
Days of Glory – $86,182 ($126,339 total)
Tsotsi – $95,201 ($95,201 total)
The Squid and the Whale – $92,115 ($8,950,326 total)
Pride & Prejudice – $90,930 ($47,863,305 total)
Sophie Scholl – $51,402 ($86,596 total)
Paradise Now – $29,762 ($1,674,879 total)
Darwin’s Nightmare – $13,398 ($199,896 total)
Street Fight – $4,850 ($5,961 total)

Oscar Details:

Brokeback Mountain: Picture, Directing [O], Actor (Heath Ledger), Supporting Actor (Jake Gyllenhaal), Supporting Actress (Michelle Williams), Adapted Screenplay [O], Original Score [O], Cinematography
Capote: Picture, Directing, Actor (Philip Seymour Hoffman) [O], Supporting Actress (Catherine Keener), Adapted Screenplay
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe: Makeup [O], Sound Mixing, Visual Effects
Darwin’s Nightmare: Documentary Feature
Days of Glory: Foreign Language Film
Good Night, and Good Luck.: Picture, Directing, Actor (David Strathairn), Original Screenplay, Cinematography, Art Direction
King Kong: Art Direction, Sound Mixing [O], Sound Editing [O], Visual Effects [O]
Match Point: Original Screenplay
Memoirs of a Geisha: Original Score, Cinematography [O], Art Direction [O], Costume Design [O], Sound Mixing, Sound Editing
Mrs. Henderson Presents: Actress (Judi Dench), Costume Design
Munich: Picture, Directing, Adapted Screenplay, Original Score, Editing
The New World: Cinematography
Paradise Now: Foreign Language Film
Pride & Prejudice: Actress (Keira Knightley), Original Score, Art Direction, Costume Design
Sophie Scholl: Foreign Language Film
The Squid and the Whale: Original Screenplay
Street Fight: Documentary Feature
Syriana: Supporting Actor (George Clooney) [O], Original Screenplay
Transamerica: Actress (Felicity Huffman), Original Song (“Travelin’ Thru”)
Tsotsi: Foreign Language Film [O]
Walk the Line: Actor (Joaquin Phoenix), Actress (Reese Witherspoon) [O], Editing, Costume Design, Sound Mixing

15 Years Ago: The Weekend of Feb. 23-25, 2001

Weekend Box Office:

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon – $6,592,223 ($81,940,326 total) {week 12}
Traffic – $5,136,889 ($86,229,141 total) {week 9}
Chocolat – $4,761,167 ($40,062,665 total) {week 11}
Cast Away – $3,105,171 ($220,921,892 total) {week 10}
O Brother, Where Art Thou? – $2,269,941 ($28,244,888 total) {week 10}
The Emperor’s New Groove – $536,522 ($85,682,589 total) {week 11}
Pollock – $450,677 ($920,794 total) {week 11}
Shadow of the Vampire – $359,230 ($7,032,759 total) {week 9}
Before Night Falls – $358,303 ($2,332,862 total) {week 10}
102 Dalmatians – $338,552 ($65,406,212 total) {week 14}
You Can Count on Me – $316,607 ($7,268,313 total) {week 16}
Billy Elliot – $240,495 ($20,312,595 total) {week 20}
Meet the Parents – $210,235 ($165,497,210 total) {week 21}
Malena – $178,097 ($2,752,673 total) {week 10}
Quills – $173,859 ($6,471,673 total) {week 14}
Almost Famous – $91,704 ($32,245,552 total) {week 24}
Requiem for a Dream – $60,388 ($3,528,249 total) {week 21}
Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas – $59,325 ($260,031,035 total) {week 15}
Gladiator – $22,037 ($186,721,485 total) {week 43}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon – $9,515,629 ($118,277,820 total)
Traffic – $7,414,909 ($124,468,566 total)
Chocolat – $6,872,568 ($57,828,971 total)
Cast Away – $4,482,199 ($318,892,554 total)
O Brother, Where Art Thou? – $3,276,576 ($40,770,448 total)
The Emperor’s New Groove – $774,450 ($123,679,638 total)
Pollock – $650,536 ($1,329,132 total)
Shadow of the Vampire – $518,535 ($10,151,527 total)
Before Night Falls – $517,197 ($3,367,400 total)
102 Dalmatians – $488,687 ($94,411,440 total)
You Can Count on Me – $457,010 ($10,491,540 total)
Billy Elliot – $347,146 ($29,320,477 total)
Meet the Parents – $303,466 ($238,889,082 total)
Malena – $257,076 ($3,973,381 total)
Quills – $250,959 ($9,341,620 total)
Almost Famous – $132,371 ($46,545,258 total)
Requiem for a Dream – $87,168 ($5,092,897 total)
Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas – $85,633 ($375,345,151 total)
Gladiator – $31,810 ($269,525,536 total)

Oscar Details:

102 Dalmatians: Costume Design
Almost Famous: Supporting Actress (Kate Hudson, Frances McDormand), Original Screenplay [O], Editing
Before Night Falls: Actor (Javier Bardem)
Billy Elliot: Directing, Supporting Actress (Julie Walters), Original Screenplay
Cast Away: Actor (Tom Hanks), Sound
Chocolat: Picture, Actress (Juliette Binoche), Supporting Actress (Judi Dench), Adapted Screenplay, Original Score
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Picture, Directing, Adapted Screenplay, Original Song (“A Love Before Time”), Original Score [O], Editing, Cinematography [O], Art Direction [O], Costume Design, Foreign Language Film [O]
Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas: Art Direction, Costume Design, Makeup [O]
The Emperor’s New Groove: Original Song (“My Funny Friend and Me”)
Gladiator: Picture [O], Directing, Actor (Russell Crowe) [O], Supporting Actor (Joaquin Phoenix) [O], Original Screenplay, Original Score, Editing, Cinematography, Art Direction, Costume Design [O], Sound [O], Visual Effects [O]
Malena: Original Score, Cinematography
Meet the Parents: Original Song (“A Fool in Love”)
O Brother, Where Art Thou?: Cinematography
Pollock: Actor (Ed Harris), Supporting Actress (Marcia Gay Harden) [O]
Quills: Actor (Geoffrey Rush), Art Direction, Costume Design
Requiem for a Dream: Actress (Ellen Burstyn)
Shadow of the Vampire: Supporting Actor (Willem Dafoe), Makeup
Traffic: Picture, Directing [O], Supporting Actor (Benicio Del Toro) [O], Adapted Screenplay [O], Editing [O]
You Can Count on Me: Actress (Laura Linney), Original Screenplay

20 Years Ago: The Weekend of Feb. 23-25, 1996

Weekend Box Office:

Mr. Holland’s Opus – $5,055,814 ($56,702,448 total) {week 9}
Dead Man Walking – $2,298,818 ($21,210,706 total) {week 9}
Sense and Sensibility – $2,204,679 ($32,305,690 total) {week 11}
Leaving Las Vegas – $1,900,024 ($23,176,762 total) {week 18}
Braveheart – $1,007,119 ($70,260,658 total) {week 40}
Toy Story – $589,341 ($183,372,334 total) {week 14}
Anne Frank Remembered – $26,697 ($26,697 total) {week 1}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

Mr. Holland’s Opus – $9,345,249 ($104,809,729 total)
Dead Man Walking – $4,249,173 ($39,206,214 total)
Sense and Sensibility – $4,075,165 ($59,714,364 total)
Leaving Las Vegas – $3,512,035 ($42,840,304 total)
Braveheart – $1,861,575 ($129,870,945 total)
Toy Story – $1,089,348 ($338,948,409 total)
Anne Frank Remembered – $49,347 ($49,347 total)

Oscar Details:

Anne Frank Remembered: Documentary Feature
Braveheart: Picture [O], Directing [O], Original Screenplay, Original Dramatic Score, Editing, Cinematography [O], Costume Design, Makeup [O], Sound, Sound Effects Editing [O]
Dead Man Walking: Directing, Actor (Sean Penn), Actress (Susan Sarandon) [O], Original Song (“Dead Man Walkin’”)
Leaving Las Vegas: Directing, Actor (Nicolas Cage) [O], Actress (Elisabeth Shue), Adapted Screenplay
Mr. Holland’s Opus: Actor (Richard Dreyfuss)
Sense and Sensibility: Picture, Actress (Emma Thompson), Supporting Actress (Kate Winslet), Adapted Screenplay [O], Original Dramatic Score, Cinematography, Costume Design
Toy Story: Original Screenplay, Original Song (“You’ve Got a Friend in Me”), Original Musical or Comedy Score

25 Years Ago: The Weekend of Feb. 22-24, 1991

Weekend Box Office:

The Silence of the Lambs – $11,947,765 ($30,895,958 total) {week 2}
Home Alone – $4,831,317 ($236,363,633 total) {week 15}
Dances With Wolves – $4,225,329 ($117,287,535 total) {week 16}
Awakenings – $1,683,902 ($42,430,446 total) {week 10}
Green Card – $1,323,801 ($23,676,256 total) {week 10}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

The Silence of the Lambs – $23,186,043 ($59,957,239 total)
Home Alone – $9,375,739 ($458,691,421 total)
Dances With Wolves – $8,199,748 ($227,610,252 total)
Awakenings – $3,267,810 ($82,341,269 total)
Green Card – $2,568,991 ($45,946,559 total)

Oscar Details:

Awakenings: Picture, Actor (Robert De Niro), Adapted Screenplay
Dances With Wolves: Picture [O], Directing [O], Actor (Kevin Costner), Supporting Actor (Graham Greene), Supporting Actress (Mary McDonnell), Adapted Screenplay [O], Original Score [O], Editing [O], Cinematography [O], Art Direction, Costume Design, Sound [O]
Green Card: Original Screenplay
Home Alone: Original Song (“Somewhere in My Memory”), Original Score
The Silence of the Lambs: Picture [O], Directing [O], Actor (Anthony Hopkins) [O], Actress (Jodie Foster) [O], Adapted Screenplay [O], Film Editing, Sound

30 Years Ago: The Weekend of Feb. 21-23, 1986

Weekend Box Office:

The Color Purple – $4,091,653 ($59,533,665 total) {week 10}
Murphy’s Romance – $2,483,152 ($17,812,597 total) {week 9}
Out of Africa – $2,310,910 ($63,056,459 total) {week 10}
Hannah and Her Sisters – $1,187,652 ($5,027,299 total) {week 3}
Back to the Future – $527,000 ($200,599,180 total) {week 34}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

The Color Purple – $9,010,460 ($131,102,437 total)
Murphy’s Romance – $5,468,289 ($39,226,123 total)
Out of Africa – $5,088,985 ($138,860,181 total)
Hannah and Her Sisters – $2,615,395 ($11,070,898 total)
Back to the Future – $1,160,536 ($441,750,755 total)

Oscar Details:

Back to the Future: Original Screenplay, Original Song (“The Power of Love’), Sound, Sound Effects Editing [O]
The Color Purple: Picture, Actress (Whoopi Goldberg), Supporting Actress (Margaret Avery, Oprah Winfrey), Adapted Screenplay, Original Song (“Miss Celie’s Blues (Sister)”)
Hannah and Her Sisters: Picture, Director, Supporting Actor (Michael Caine) [O], Supporting Actress (Dianne Wiest) [O], Original Screenplay [O], Film Editing, Art Direction
Murphy’s Romance: Actor (James Garner), Cinematography
Out of Africa: Picture [O], Directing [O], Actress (Meryl Streep), Supporting Actor (Klaus Maria Brandauer), Adapted Screenplay [O], Original Score [O], Film Editing, Cinematography [O], Art Direction [O], Costume Design, Sound [O]